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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2008 Undersized Irish topples Devils in junior Division 1 hoops final By Adam Johnston on it (playing faster) and working on it, but it has been our Achilles heel," said Vaive. "We were bigger than them (but) we were not getAlthough the David versus Goliath analogy ting the ball through the middle and using our could be considered cliché or even overplayed height. Then, on offence, because of beating in sports, it seemed appropriate in Thursday's the pressure we were still forcing the play, Halton high school junior girls' basketball instead of getting the ball to our big girls down Division 1 final. low where we have a clear advantage." Burlington's Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame relied on its hustle and ability overcame a significant height disadvantage to to move the ball to take a 14-10 lead into halfdown the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils 38-24 at time, despite being out-rebounded and shootSheridan College. ing poorly from both the field and the free The Irish boasted a very talented and athlet- throw line. ic squad to match a basketball Oakville Trafalgar stormed program that is perennially one "We've been working back to open the second half of the strongest in Halton. on (playing faster)... and pulled ahead 18-17 by Notre Dame was clearly out- but it has been our using its size and playing physsized Thursday, however, when Achilles heel." ically at the offensive end. at no point did it have a player However, the Irish refused to Oakville Trafalgar on the court taller than the Red abandon its game plan and coach Joyce Vaive Devils' shortest player. received some clutch shooting Yet, Irish head coach Brian down the stretch from guard Miller didn't see the height disparity as a disad- Jessica Scowen. vantage. In fact, he said he didn't consider it at Scowen -- who finished with a game-high all. 15 points, including two timely three-pointers "Never looked at it," said Miller. "We played to quell the third-quarter surge by the Red a team from Ajax this year that had a centre Devils -- modestly acknowledged that she just who was 6-foot-4, so we never look at it." had a good day on the court and readily deflectAs a result of his team being undersized, ed the praise to her teammates. Miller preached an up-tempo offence, paired "It was just a good shooting day," said with a high-pressure defence, to exploit taller, Scowen. "I was just really focused and preslower teams. pared. Oakville Trafalgar played really well and "That's the nature of our game," said Miller. they were really tough to play against. I'm real"Our problem is that we can't get into a slow- ly proud of our team. It wasn't all me." down game with them; they will just throw it Notre Dame outscored the Red Devils 12-2 over the top (of our players). So we've got to in the fourth quarter and played keepaway in play up-tempo basketball and we've got to the final minutes to put the game away. press." The Red Devils were led in scoring by Red Devils head coach Joyce Vaive was pre- Rachelle Cyrus and Heather Bonnell, each of pared for the fast-paced Irish game plan, but whom scored eight points. said lack of execution played a role in OT's loss. Notre Dame also had strong performances "They're small and they're quick, so they from Alyssa Cutaia (nine points) and point have to (use) their assets. We've been working guard Siobhan Manning (eight). SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER LOOKING FOR HELP: Oakville Trafalgar's Danielle Spice (with ball) looks for a way to get around Notre Dame Fighting Irish opponent Jessica Scowen during Thursday's Halton high school junior girls' Division 1 final at Sheridan College. Notre Dame defeated the Red Devils 38-24. Capital punishment moves Blades into top spot in MacKinnon Division Entering this weekend's action, the Oakville Blades sat atop the Provincial Junior Hockey League's MacKinnon Division. Oakville took the division lead with a 6-2 road victory over the Brampton Capitals Thursday, improving to 16-3 on the season. The Blades' 32 points tied them with the Burlington Cougars, but Oakville held two games in hand. The Blades and Cougars were both scheduled to play last night (Friday), while the Georgetown Raiders -- a point behind both Oakville and Burlington -- host the Bramalea Blues tonight (Saturday). Brendan Taylor scored twice and added an assist Thursday for the Blades. Ryan Murphy also enjoyed a three-point outing, scoring once and adding a pair of helpers. Luke Moodie, Dustin Alcock and Kellan Lain had the other goals Thursday for Oakville, which led 3-1 after one period and 51 after two. Matt Hache recorded his third win in as many starts with the Blades. Oakville, which hosted the Vaughan Vipers last night, will visit the Ajax Attack tomorrow afternoon. All Pots & Pans 20% OFF River Glen Mews Plaza Making Your Cooking Fun & Easy · Knives and Garnishing Tools · Small Appliances · Cookware and Tableware · Linens, Aprons and Mitts · Bakeware · Barware · Espresso Makers and Accessories Hours: Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday CLOSED 2530 6th Line, Oakville (905) 257-3500